Switching to the Double Bass: Chapter 3a - Fourth Position

Let’s talk about harmonics!

First, watch these two videos by Jason Heath and Chris West.

The great thing about the harmonics on the double bass is that the 4 “basic” harmonics are all where our starting hand positions function!

On a standard “D neck” bass, the 3rd Position (III) contains a harmonic for both the 1st and 4th fingers across all four strings and can easily be found by sliding the palm down to the neck block and bringing the fingers across and over the strings.

The 4th Position (IV) can be found two ways: 1) by replacing the 4th finger from 3rd Position with the 1st finger, or 2) sliding the thumb down the neck to the neck block, and positioning the 1st finger directly across from it on the relevant string.

Give each of these a shot with the handy guide below!

Now, let’s take those harmonics and learn the classic rock song by Guns N’ Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” using almost only harmonics!

Reflection Questions:

  1. Did you have to change anything about your approach to the bow to make these harmonics pop out and be more audible?

  2. Switching between all these harmonics can be a bit tricky on the neck of the bass. Keep this in mind for later, after you’ve started thumb position, and see if you can figure out the “At Pitch” variation!

Switching to the Double Bass: Chapter 3b - G and E Major Scales

Now, let’s talk about the E string.

Each string on the bass requires slightly different approaches and adjustments because the difference in thickness and weight from the G string to the E string is pretty substantial.

You can think of each of the strings as on several spectrums simultaneously:

E string

G string

  • More weight

  • Flatter hair

  • Slower bow

  • Slightly closer to the fingerboard

  • Less weight

  • Angled hair

  • Faster bow

  • Slightly closer to the bridge

Now, let’s apply those bowing and shifting concepts to the G and E Major scales!

As your assessment for this section, apply the bowing and shifting skills to the song below! Fingerings are no longer provided for this one, so using the following article as a guide for developing good fingerings, come up with a practical fingering on your own!

Reflection Questions:

  1. “Pop,” or popular, songs tend to have some rhythms that are a bit difficult to read on the first try. Why do you think it’s more difficult to play these with a bow than it was for Chappell Roan to sing them?

  2. Did you find any fingerings that facilitated less shifting? Did you find any that required more shifting? Which one was easier on your left hand versus your right hand?

When you’re ready, click the button below to go to the next lesson!